The prize is named after George Matsumoto, one of the founding professors at the school, where he served from 1948 to 1961. According to Triangle Modernist Houses, the non-profit organization hosting the awards program: “the Triangle area of North Carolina has the third largest concentration of Modernist houses in America, more than anywhere else except Los Angeles and Chicago.”

The competition features $6,000 in cash awards. Three winners are chosen by a blue-ribbon jury of architects; three winners are also chosen by a popular “People’s Choice” vote.